From Village Stall to Global Markets: Entrepreneurs and E-Commerce

Amidou Coulibaly and Haoua Cheick Traore present African Crafts Online |
The purpose of the Workshop was to
address the objectives of the Geneva Forum 2000 and which were promoted
by the Swiss Confederation, namely bringing together all stakeholders in
social development, especially the private sector, in order to catalyze
and share knowledge to eradicate poverty. Two fundamental questions were
asked- "What can the internet do to enhance trade and commerce
for all and not just for the lucky few?" And "What
has changed since Copenhagen in 1995?" The divide
between the rich and the poor has increased, not diminished, and 80
countries both developing and countries in transition, have GNPs lower
than in 1995. The Workshop targeted the role of the entrepreneur in
closing the gap: whether in micro, small and medium enterprises or
international corporations. Attention focused on the massive changes
brought about by the Internet and information technology (IT) especially
the innovative use of the Internet for social development.

Hedy Glenn, UN, Fatima Jibrell, Horn Relief, and Louise Meyer |
Dunia Pastizzi-Ferencie opened
the discussions by emphasizing the importance of linking macro, mezzo
and micro economies. Participants then heard how different enterprises
benefited from IT. Louise Meyer discussed her website -African
Crafts Online- which assists African artisans to document their
culture and market their products by means of the Internet. In her
presentation she showcased the work of Amidou Coulibaly, a weaver
from Northern Ivory Coast, and the virtual shop of Haoua Cheick
Traore. Felix Muhlebach, President of MatchingNeeds.com, a
company that matches information needed by small and medium enterprises
globally, shared the challenges they faced as an internet start-up
company, especially that of investment. Dr. Thomas Morscher of
Daynetwork.com, a Swiss company that provides software for "Web Information
Management Solutions" for businesses, discussed their experiences
from a small start-up to a global company. Christopher Gibson from
the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) analyzed the legal
and value based aspects of E-commerce. Finally, Bob Berg spoke of
the effect of IT on development theory as well as intergenerational
issues and how developing countries face critical challenges. Fatima
Jibrell welcomed greater access and lower cost in order to better
manage her Somali NGO and Esteban Gonzalez of Mexico said that
young entrepreneurs should combine profit with non-profit development
activities.
The proliferation of the Internet and IT
is the most significant and promising change in the environment since
WSSD in 1995. Information Technology has the capacity to enhance market
share far beyond national borders while maintaining the importance of
local and regional cultural diversity. E-Commerce can contribute to
social development and strategies for IT should be included in national
development plans. Local IT systems and appropriate education and
investment are needed to increase access and equity. The corporate
sector, especially, has much to offer in developing collaborative
strategies to address these key issues. Finally,
it was concluded that there is an urgent need to reshape the debate on
globalization in order to focus an IT's importance to social development
as well as economic development.
[note: we've since changed the name of our online presence from African Crafts Online to AfricanCraft.com] |